The GALILEO MACHINE

Expert Discussion Strength Training
1

HAS anyone used a piece of interesting equipment called The Galileo Machine?

You stand on a platform which oscillates (vibrates, side-to-side as well as up-and-down, wave motion) ) at a pre-determined speed, the highest being 26Hz.

Claims made as to benefits from using this machine are at the upper end of extreme.

I used it today for the first time. At top speed the experience is confronting. I stood for only 60sec and felt like I’d done a moderate weight training session.

Also placed my hands on the platform and assumed the pushup position. I held that for about 60sec also and my stomach muscles in particular felt like they’d also done a reasonable workout - like maybe it would feel after doing 100 situps.

THe claims for the machine are that one “workout” is equivalent to squatting with triple bodyweight. But I’m not sure what the manufacturer assumes is “a workout”. (perhaps several sets of 60seconds at 26Hz??? - anyone had any real training on something like this machine???)

Another claim is that flexibility improved by four inches, in the case of doing the splits, after just one session.

I’ve had really tight shoulders for years. After 60sec in the pushup posture, I found I could extend my arm sideways and back significantly further before the familiar dull pain returned to the shoulder area.

Apparently there are a number of similar machines. Bosco is said to have done testing and , because the ossilation version is patented, he designed a platform that just moved vertically.

The machine I was on cost $18,000 and weighed 100 kg. That’s about all I know about it.

If anyone has trained over a decent period of time on this machine I’d appreciate feedback on benefits and flaws.

thanks
kk

2

When you say oscillate do you mean the same thing as vibrate? Is it a vibration platform.

3

YES, it vibrates while also working left-to-right and back again in a kind of wave motion, but extremely fast. You cant control it, you have to yield to it.

4

You might want to get in touch with user Henkra, who has a pretty impressive resumé as a coach and is an advocate for the use of these machines. I don’t think he visits this forum very often, so you might want to email him privately about this.

5

KitKat,

see:
http://charliefrancis.com/community/showthread.php?t=4784&highlight=vibration

http://www.coachr.org/vibra.htm

http://charliefrancis.com/community/showthread.php?t=668&highlight=vibration

Has there been any independent studies done on the use of vibration training?

6

Don’t bother with this vibration training, leave it to your girl friend ;). I know several athletes in my country who are supposedly using vibration training, but I haven’t seen any improvement in their results. I have tried it myself last winter for a couple of months without any measurable benefit in strength/power levels.

7

As from the links listed above the GALILEO and NEMES are NOT the same machine.

There are definite differences between the machines.

Here is a list of references for the NEMES.

http://www.fit-med.com/scientific.htm

Selected Short Introductions of References on Whole Body Vibration Training System

  1. Bosco C, Iacovelli M, Tsarpela O, Cardinale M, Bonifazi M, Tihanyi J, Viru M, De Lorenzo A, Viru A.: Hormonal responses to whole-body vibration in men. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2000 Apr;81(6):449-54.

Prof. Bosco et al. proved that after 10 repetitions of whole body vibration NEMES BOSCO SYSTEM ® there is a tremendous effect on the hormonal system, by increasing the Growth hormone(+) 460% ,Testosterone(+)7% and decreasing the Cortisol (-)27% .

  1. Cardinale M, Lim J. Electromyography activity of vastus lateralis muscle during whole-body vibrations of different frequencies.
    J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Aug;17(3):621-4 .

Prof. Cardinale and Dr. Lim proved Prof. Bosco’s concept about the NEMES - BOSCO SYSTEM ®, concluding that every person has its own muscles’ frequency and as a result -different vibration training program. Therefore, EMG test must be taken prior to any Vibration Training, in order to define the individual’s specific frequency. This will enable optimal results from the vibration training.

    1. Cardinale M, Bosco C. The use of vibration as an exercise intervention.
      Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2003 Jan;31(1):3-7 .

The use of vibration for enhancing athletic performance is the latest issue in exercise physiology. Current evidence suggests that vibration is effective in enhancing strength and the power capacity of humans, although the mechanisms mediating this effect are unknown.

  1. Bosco C, Colli R, Introini E, Cardinale M, Tsarpela O, Madella A, Tihanyi J, Viru A. Adaptive responses of human skeletal muscle to vibration exposure.Clin Physiol. 1999 Mar;19(2):183-7.

Prof Bosco et al. proved a remarkable and statistically significant enhancement of the experimental training with the Whole Body Vibration in average velocity (AV), average force (AF) and average power (AP). Consequently, the velocity-force and power-force relationship shifted to the right after the training. In conclusion, it was affirmed that the enhancement could be caused by neural factors, as athletes were well accustomed to the leg press exercise and the learning effect was minimized.

  1. Bosco C, Cardinale M, Tsarpela O. Influence of vibration on mechanical power and electromyogram activity in human arm flexor muscles. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1999 Mar;79(4):306-11

Prof Bosco et al. in this research concluded that mechanical vibrations enhanced muscle Power and decreased the related Electromyography/Power relationship in elite athletes. Moreover, the analysis of Electromyography (rms) recorded before the treatment and during the treatment itself showed an enormous increase in neural activity during vibration up to more than twice the baseline values. This would indicate that this type of treatment is able to stimulate the neuromuscular system more than other treatments used to improve neuromuscular properties.

  1. Bosco, C; Cardinale, M; Tsarpela, O; Locatelli, E: New trends in training science: The use of vibrations for enhancing performance; New Studies in Athletics, Vol.14, No.4, 1999, pg.55-62.

Prof. Bosco describes step by step his concept of whole body vibration and it development.

  1. Ariizumi M, Okada A. :Effect of whole body vibration on the rat brain content of serotonin and plasma corticosterone.Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1983;52(1):15-9.

Dr.Ariizumi and Dr. Okada proved that Whole Body Vibration increased the levels of Plasma corticosterone significantly.

  1. Kerschan-Schindl K, Grampp S, Henk C, Resch H, Preisinger E, Fialka-Moser V, Imhof H. : Whole-body vibration exercise leads to alterations in muscle blood volume. Clin Physiol. 2001 May;21(3):377-82.

Dr. Kerschan-Schindl et al. proved that Power Doppler indices indicative of muscular blood circulation in the calf and thigh significantly increased after whole body vibration. Which mean a tremendous increase in the peripheral circulation.

  1. Rittweger J, Beller G, Felsenberg D.: Acute physiological effects of exhaustive whole-body vibration exercise in man. Clin Physiol. 2000 Mar;20(2):134-42.

Dr. Rittweger et al . proved that exertion by simple squatting was significantly higher than with vibration. It is concluded that the increased metabolic power observed in association with whole body vibration training is due to muscular activity. It is likely that this muscular activity is easier to control between individuals than is simple squatting.

  1. Rittweger J, Just K, Kautzsch K, Reeg P, Felsenberg D. Treatment of chronic lower back pain with lumbar extension and whole-body vibration exercise: a randomized controlled trial.Spine. 2002 Sep 1;27(17):1829-34.

DR. Rittweger et al. proved that a well-controlled vibration may be the cure rather than the cause of lower back pain.

  1. Flieger, J.; Karachalios, Th.; Khaldi, L.; Raptou, P.; Lyritis, G. Mechanical stimulation in the form of vibration prevents postmenopausal bone loss in ova-riectomized rats; Calcif. Tissue Int. Vol. 63., 1998, pg. 510-514.

Dr.Flieger et al. were the first scientists that proved the positive relationship between bone density and application of whole body vibration.

  1. Rubin C.T. ,Turner S.A. ,Bain S. ,Mallinckrodt C. ,McLeod K. :Low mechanical signals strengthen long bones: Nature 2001 Aug. 412;603-4.

Dr. Rubin et al. proved on a one year research that the density of the spongy bone in the proximal femur is significantly increased (by 34.2%) compared to controls. As the strain levels generated by this treatment are three orders of magnitude below those that damage bone tissue, this anabolic, non-invasive stimulus may have potential for treating skeletal conditions such as osteoporosis.

  1. Jackson SW, Turner DL.: Prolonged muscle vibration reduces maximal voluntary knee extension performance in both the ipsilateral and the contralateral limb in man. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2003 Jan;88(4-5):380-6. Epub 2002 Nov 01.

Dr. Jackson et al. showed that prolonged vibration technique application effect by reduction of the vibrated muscle performance and surprisingly it effect the controlateral muscles performance .These findings may have implications for the rehabilitation of patients with an immobilized limb.

8

WOW!
Thanks Tom, that’s brilliant information.

Did you find anything specific to the Galileo Machine, which is the only equipment of it’s type I have physically located to date?

Is the Galileo inferior? Or just different?
thanks for taking the trouble here,
kk

9

OK found this stuff. I would like to say this is not some stunt to promo the product. I’m just pursuing an interest in verifying the claims made for WBV, different machines that create WBV and the potential and consequences for training in sport…

Galileo Whole Body Vibration

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The “Galileo” stimulates the whole body by tilting slightly around an axle. The person who stands on the machine tries to keep the head and body steady and upright. All the muscles that keep the body in this position are forced to react to the oscillatory movements provided by Galileo, thus exercising them. This stimulation form is currently known as “Whole Body Vibration” (WBV) training. Many studies show that vibrations at the right dose can lead to faster growth and recovery of all tissues.

Training sessions of only 2-3 minutes twice a week produce measurable effects.

Muscle power - The neuromuscular system is activated strongly but in a controlled fashion. As the movements are too fast to react to voluntarily the muscles are activated through a “tonic vibration reflex”. This reflex activates especially the fast muscle fibers, that are hard to stimulate and can produce explosive power. As muscles bring forward the highest forces on other tissues they serve as stimulators for a healthy development of these tissues, such as bone and tendons.
Impovement of muscle power after Galileo training (upper picture, Bosco, in: Clin. Physiol. 1999), improvement of sprint speed, agiligy and jump height in comparance to explosive weight training (Berschin, in: Leistungssport 2003)

Inter- and intra-muscular coordination - In order to use the muscle power in a functional manner the inter- and intra-muscular coordination should be optimal. Vibrations up to 28 Hz have a positive effect on coordination. Vibrations over this frequency cannot be processed very well.
Improvement of balance after 1 Galileo session (Torvinen, in: Clin. Physiol. & func im 2002)

Effects on Bone
Bone structure responds according to the Wolffian law of Function, i.e. growth and maintenance of shaft and trabeculae follow the course of the trajectories of strain. A healthy bone - this term also refers to bones with primary osteoporosis - will react to maximum forces, which cause deformation of approximately 1500 microstrain, following a precisely determined biological control circuit. The muscles initiate these deformation forces. Current studies have shown that there is a strict proportional relationship between the cross section of bone and the cross section of muscle. Several studies are showing a positive effect of training with Galileo™ on bone growth.
Improvement of bone strength (Stress-strain-Index) in bone after Galileo stimulation OSZI and/or hormone replacement HRT (Siegrist, in: Int. J. Sports Med. 2002)

The importance of tilting - The patented tilting vibratory stimulation of the Galileo evokes both horizontal and vertical balance reflexes. Studies show that this stimulation form leads to improvement of power, balance, maneuverability, and improved power in muscles that are responsible for stability, such as adductors, abductors and muscles in the pelvis region.

Damping - The Galileo stimulation is based on the walking pattern, where left and right leg alternately are in contact with the ground. The muscles and other tissues of the body dampen these vibrations. The pelvis is tilting synchronous with the plate and functions as an important damper. Vibrations to the head are hereby optimally damped, which is essential within healthy WBV training.

Dose, variability - The dose of the stimulation is varied through the amplitude. By changing the position on the plate the amplitude can be varied from 0 up to 13 mm. The use of extra weights further improves the training effect.

Frequency - By variation of the frequency different effects can be evoked. At 5-6 Hz (cycles per second) balance and propriocepsis are stimulated, 10-15 Hz is used for detonization and mobilization, and 18 Hz and up is used for training.

Scientific proof

More than 30 scientific studies have proven the functionality of the Galileo. All studies can be found here.

  • Galileo stimulation induces a post-activation-potentiation of the muscles and improves tendon reflex sensitivity. Galileo stimulation improves the effects of your regular training significantly.

  • Galileo training improves power and balance in all people, but especially in low taxable people, neurological patients, and sportsmen who are training at their physical limits.

  • Galileo training reduces low back pain and improves lumbar power.

  • Treatment of stress incontinence through physio training in combination with Galileo training leads to a significant extra rise in effectiveness from 50% up to 80%.

  • Galileo training improves power balance and coordination in neurological patients.

  • Galileo stimulation enhances blood flow significantly, especially in peripheral regions.

  • The bone quality (noted as Stress Strain Index) improves after Galileo training.

  • A short Galileo stimulation prevents loss of tissue quantity and quality (muscle, bone, tendons), and thus maintains the taxability, for example during an injury rehabilitation period.

Fields of Application in Sports

  • Increasing readiness before training or competition (scar tissue, poor blood flow, arousal)
  • Increasing effectiveness of (weight)training through Post Activation Potentiation.
  • Enhancement of recovery after training
  • Increasing taxability
  • Enhancement of recovery after injury

Fields of Application in Medicine

  • Rehabilitation of force and power
  • Rehabilitation in Neurological patients
  • Muscle atrophy
  • Poor balance
  • Poor propriocepsis
  • Low Backpain
  • Stress-Incontinence
  • Osteoporosis
  • Blood Flow problems
  • Therapeutical applications focussed on metabolism and tissue strengthening and recovery (arthrosis, tendinitis, skin problems).

Many other treatment goals have been noted in clinical practice and are under investigation at this moment. Examples are treatment of the physical status of women after a breast cancer operation, patients with diabetes type 2, claudicatio, rehabilitation of osteo-arthritis, tendonitis, muscle tears, and general recovery.

Side effects:
In many cases, the vibration causes a severe itching in the trained parts of the body. This is evidence of the strong effect on the vegetative system and the blood vessels. With some patients, a too high amplitude or too rapid increase in training intensity can cause circulatory disorders in the form of a fall in blood pressure. This should not be considered an indication of general intolerance but rather a symptom of poor vessel regulation, which can be improved by training with Galileo™.

10

Here is some info that was made available on the Supertraining list-

Compare with the NEMES Studies to better understand the differences in the machines-